Essay On The Abolition Movement

Slavery in America first began in the first permanent English settlement, Jamestown, in 1619. African slaves were brought to this colony to assist the colonist in the production of the profitable crop tobacco. Slavery in America would go on to be practiced throughout the America until the late 18th century. The abolition movement was an endeavor to abolish slavery in the United States.

The main goal of the movement was the emancipation of slaves and the end of racial discrimination. Many abolitionists argued that slavery went against the “unalienable rights” outlined in the United States Declaration of Independence. These were the rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Other abolitionist believed that the enslavement of others was a sin. The abolition movement can be traced back to early colonial times. One of the earliest to protest the slave trade was the religious group, the Quakers. The Quakers fought hard to abolish slavery because it went against their religious belief in equality. In 1868, a group of Quakers ventured to Germantown, Pennsylvania to petition “the traffick of men-body.” The Quakers also played a
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The movement led to the abolishment of slavery in the United States. Slavery officially ended when the 13th amendment was passed by the Senate on April 8, 1864 and the House on January 31, 1865. Another accomplishment of the movement was the publishing of numerous anti-slavery newspapers, books, and pamphlets. These newspapers, books, and pamphlets were used by abolitionist to spread the word of the moral and social evils of slavery throughout the United States. The movement gave way to the formation of many abolitionists groups. Groups like the New England Anti-Slavery Society were created to give awareness of the horrors involved with slavery. The abolition movement also gave way to prominent abolitionist like William Lloyd Garrison, Frederick Douglass, and Harriet Beecher